Ghawar Oil and Gas Project (Saudi Arabia)
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Ghawar Oil and Gas Project (الغوار) is an operating oil and gas project in Saudi Arabia.
The project consists of the following units:
- Shedgum Oil and Gas Field (Saudi Arabia)
- South Ghawar Gas Field (Saudi Arabia)
- Ain dar Oil Field (Saudi Arabia)
- Waqr Gas Field (Saudi Arabia)
Project Details
Main Data
Table 1: Project-level project details for Ghawar Oil and Gas Project
| Unit name | Status | Operator | Owner | Discovery year | FID* year | Production start year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghawar | Operating[1] | Saudi Aramco[2] | Saudi Aramco (100.0%)[2] | 1948[3] | – | 1951[4] |
Production and Reserves
Table 2: Reserves of Ghawar Oil and Gas Project
| Fuel Description | Reserve Classification | Quantity | Units | Data Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hydrocarbons | proved reserves | 58319 | million boe | 2018 | [2] |
| liquids | proved reserves | 48254 | million bbl | 2018 | [2] |
| oil | 2P reserves | 86300 | million bbl | 2004 | [4] |
| oil | EUR | 147000 | million bbl | 2004 | [4] |
| oil | remaining reserves | 70000 | million bbl | 2014 | [5] |
Table 3: Production from Ghawar Oil and Gas Project
| Category | Fuel Description | Quantity | Units | Data Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cumulative production | oil | 60.7 | million bbl | 2004 | [6] |
| production | condensate | 69.35 | million bbl/y | 2019 | [7] |
| production | NGL | 175.2 | million bbl/y | 2019 | [7] |
| production | oil | 1898 | million bbl/y | 2007 | [3] |
| production | oil | 1262.9 | million bbl/y | 2019 | [7] |
| production | oil | 1109.6 | million bbl/y | 2022 | [8] |
| production design capacity | hydrocarbons | 1387 | million boe/y | 2018 | [2] |
Location
Table 4: project-level location details for Ghawar Oil and Gas Project
| Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|
| Onshore, Saudi Arabia[9] | 25.213, 49.2558 (exact)[9] |
The map below shows the exact location of the project:
Production
Shown below is the Ghawar field's historical production of crude oil, condensate, and natural gas liquids (NGLs) for 1951-2019, based on data from Rystad reported by The Shift Project.[10]
Ghawar's crude oil production rates, as shown above, have been declining since 1997. In the early 2000s, the field's capacity was stated to be over 5 million barrels per day of crude oil; for example, in 2005, the International Energy Agency stated "Ghawar's current maximum sustainable crude oil (excluding NGLs and condensates) capacity is about 5.3 mb/d [million barrels per day]."[11] However, in 2019, the field operator, Saudi Aramco, in preparation for their initial public offering (IPO) of stock, the company released much more information about the country's fields than had been publicly available before. Saudi Aramco's prospectus stated that the maximum sustainable capacity was significantly lower, 3.8 million barrels per day of crude oil.[12]
Some sources still report Ghawar production capacity of 5 million barrels per day or higher, which appears to be based on outdated information. For example, in 2020, the U.S. Energy Information Administration's country brief for Saudi Arabia stated that Ghawar's capacity was 5.8 million barrels per day as of 2017; however, that report was last updated October 2017, prior to the release of Saudi Aramco's prospectus.[13]
Reserves and future production
- Cumulative produced: 85 billion barrels of liquids, at end 2018[10]
- Remaining reserves: 48 billion barrels of liquids, at end 2018[12]
- Estimated ultimate recovery (EUR): 133 billion barrels of liquids
Liquids refer to crude oil, condensate, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). Cumulative produced is calculated from the data shown in the graph above. Remaining reserves are as reported by the field operator, Saudi Aramco. Estimated ultimate recovery is calculated as the sum of cumulative production and remaining reserves. Remaining reserves and thus estimated ultimate recovery are uncertain, and may change over time depending on the scientific understanding of the reservoir, and as technologies and prices change.
Saudi Aramco stated the remaining reserves as "for the Concession term," which lasts 40 years from December 2017, so until December 2057.[12] There may be some additional production after 2057, but the EUR calculated above is similar to the EUR in earlier reports (as shown below), indicating that additional production after 2057 would likely be relatively small (possibly around 10 billion barrels).
Estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) in earlier studies include:
- International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook 2005: 147 billion barrels of oil (in which "oil" is defined as crude oil, condensates, and NGLs)
- Based on data at the end of 2004, for "remaining proven and probable oil reserves" of 86.3 billion barrels of oil, and cumulative production of 60.7 billion barrels of oil.[11] IEA cited sources as "IHS Energy and IEA Databases."
- International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook 2008: 140 billion barrels of oil (in which "oil" is defined as crude oil, condensates, and NGLs)[14]
Table 1: Production and Reserves - Ghawar Field
| Category | Fuel Description | Reserve Classification | Quantity | Units | Data Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| production | condensate | Not applicable | 69 | million bbl/y | 2019 | [15] |
| production | NGL | Not applicable | 175 | million bbl/y | 2019 | [15] |
| production design capacity | hydrocarbons | Not applicable | 1 387 | million boe/y | 2018 | [16] |
| reserves | hydrocarbons | proved reserves | 58 319 | million boe | 2018 | [16] |
| reserves | oil | 2P reserves | 86 300 | million bbl | 2004 | [17] |
| reserves | oil | EUR | 147 000 | million bbl | 2004 | [17] |
| production | oil | Not applicable | 1 263 | million bbl/y | 2019 | [15] |
- million bbl = million barrels
- million boe = barrels of oil equivalent
- million bbl/y = million barrels per year
- million boe/y = million barrels of oil equivalent per year
- EUR = Estimated Ultimate Recovery
- NGL = Natural gas liquids
Operation and ownership
- Operator: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco)[12]
- Owner: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco)[12]
- Parent company: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco)[12]
The Saudi Arabian Oil Company was owned 100% by the government of Saudi Arabia prior to the company's initial public offering (IPO) in December 2019.[12][18] The IPO offered 1.5% ownership of the company.[12]
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240122213151/https://climatetrace.org/explore/oil-and-gas-production-and-transport-co2e100-2022. Archived from the original on 22 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) Prospectus" (PDF). Saudi Aramco. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "World Energy Outlook 2008". International Energy Agency. 2008. Archived from the original on September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "World Energy Outlook 2005". International Energy Agency. 2005. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230205044414/https://www.hydrocarbons-technology.com/features/featureonshore-behemoths---the-worlds-biggest-onshore-oil-fields-4184419/. Archived from the original on 05 February 2023.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20230529060353/https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/5516c403-58ef-4b4f-92e6-95161a1a5f34/WorldEnergyOutlook2005-MiddleEastandNorthAfricaInsights.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20230325065556/https://theshiftproject.org/en/article/eu-oil-depletion-2030-study/. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ GlobalData (45083). "Global top ten oil producing fields". Offshore Technology. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20210917214326/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12517-019-4390-4. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 The European Union Can Expect to Suffer Oil Depletion by 2030, The Shift Project, 2020, page 32
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 World Energy Outlook 2005, International Energy Agency, 2005, page 508
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) Prospectus, December 2019, page 58
- ↑ Saudi Arabia, U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed October 25, 2020
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedWEO 2008 - ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "The EU can expect to suffer oil depletion by 2030". The Shift Project. June 23, 2020. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedref_A - ↑ 17.0 17.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedref_I - ↑ Saudi Aramco shares surge 10% as historic IPO begins trading by Natasha Turak, CNBC, December 11, 2019
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of oil and gas extraction sites, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Oil and Gas Extraction Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
